On the bus

Here’s a post from Bill McKibben, who’s on the bus with our Do The Math crew chugging across the midwest:

I’m finding it hard to remember that I have a home—a stationary home, with a bed that doesn’t bounce up and down, a bed without a driver. We’re so deep in the rhythm of this Do The Math tour that it’s come to seem almost natural: Do the show to a sold-out house of organizers, talk with them afterwards as the planning for action gets serious, then climb aboard the bus and light out for the next stop. Right now we’re headed for Wisconsin.

It’s tiring—but it’s also exciting. Because, unlike a normal concert or speech, we’re leaving in our wake the beginning of ongoing campaigns. A lot of ongoing campaigns—word just came that there are now a hundred campuses with live divestment campaigns. Given last night’s fun in Chicago, I predict Northwestern and DePaul and some more will be on that list before long. The fight is on; people know it’s going to be a battle, and they’re engaging. The days of change-your-lightbulb are past, and the days of change-the-paradigm are drawing nearer.

But for now it’s the road—it’s the great Fontella Bass on the sound system (or Tame Impala, the new Aussie psychedelic band). It’s too little sleep, a life punctuated by toll booths and truck stops. Surrounded by hard-working friends, and doing all we can to spark something big.